Combined cut-out and lightning-arrester



(No Model.)

A. T. ALDRICH. COMBINED GUT-OUT AND LIGHTNING ANNNSTBN.

No. 444,892. Patented Jan. 20, 1891s ffm f6? MW, C MM .f5/M

Ej AJIL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT T. AIlDRICI-I, OF IVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED CUT--OUT AND LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,892, dated January20, 1891.

Application filed June 20, 1890.

serai No, 356,081. No maden a/ZZ when@ it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. ALDRICH, of the city and county ofWorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Protectors for Telephone and Similar Ilines; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which- I `igure l'represents atop edge view of a protector embodying myimprovements, with pieces ofthe line-wires, cable-wires, and ground-wires connected therewith. Fig.2 is a front View thereof. Fig. 3 is a central longitudi'nal sectiontaken on line a u, Fig. il; and Fig. l is a longitudinal section throughone end of one of the fuse-wire holders, taken at the point indicated byline h in Fig. 3.

My invention relates more particularly to protectors fortelephone-lines, but may be used on teleg iapli and electric-lightlines, if desired.

It consists of improvements in the construction and inode of supportingthe fusewire holders and in combining with said holders and thefuse-wire suitable connections with 011e or more ground-wires, as andfor the purpose hereinafter more fully set forth.

lo enable others skilled in the art to which said invention appertainsto better understand the nature and purpose thereof, I will now proceedto describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents part of the back of the usual box in whichthe protector or protectors are arranged and secured.

rllie parts marked B are the fuse-wire holders; C, the fuse-wiresarranged and secured therein; D, the line-wires connecting with one endof the device; E, the cable-wires connectii'ig with the opposite end ofsaid device, and If the ground-wires connect-ing with the fuse-wires andtheir holders, as hereinafter described.

The holders B are preferably made of square form in cross-section, but Ido not limit myself thereto. They are each provided with a longitudinalslot B in one side to receive the fuse-wire C, and to beth ends aresecured the bearing-pieces G G, which serve not only to connect theholders with the bearings H H, but also to hold the ends of thefuse-wire between the same and the ends of said holders, as is shown inFig. 4. The bea-rings II are preferably fastened to blocks I I, in turnsecured to the back board A. Said blocks and the holders B are inpractice made from vulcanized rubber or any other suitable nonconductorof electricity, while the bearingpieoes G and bearings II are made ofthe best electric-conducting material, preferably copper or brass.

The line and cable wires D E are attached to the outer ends of bearingsII, as is usual in such cases, by means of screws c and washers d, saidscrews in this instance also serving to fasten the bearings in position.The inner ends of the bearings are provided with suitable slots toreceive the outer ends of the bearing-pieces G, vand the latter aresecured therein by means of set-screws e. By the above construction itis obvious that a direct and insulated connection may be made from theline-wires D through the fine fusible wire C to the usual insulatedcable-wires E, which in practice connect with the electrical appliancesat theends thereof. The purpose of thus interposing a tine fusible wirebetween the line and cable wires D E is, as is well known, to prevent astrong or unusual current of electricity from passing from saidline-wires to and through the cable-wires and thus causing damage at theend of the line. Said result, as is also well known, is accomplished bysaid strong electric current quickly reducing the fusible wire to amolten state and thus breaking the connection between the main wires,the small fusible wire being in practice made of only sufficientcapacity to safely conduct the desired strength of current requiredwithout fusing or melting the same. Various devices have been employedfor effecting this result, and I therefore limit my invention to theconstruction shown and described.

The ground-connection is made in the following manner: Ametal plate fissecured to a block g on the back board A and connects with theground-wires F through the screws c and washers d. A transverse metalpin 7i is passed through each holder B, whose inner end bears againstthe surface of said plate f and is held endwise against the same by afiat spring t', secured to the outside of the IOC holder. Over said pinis fitted a thin tube 7,1", of suitable non-conducting material,preferably paraftine paper, which is sufficient .protection to preventthe electric current being communicated from the fuse'wire (which isWound one or more turns around the saine, as shown) to said pin, but notto prevent such connection in case of a current passing over the Wiresof a greater strength than the fuse-Wire is` intended to carry. Such vacurrent Will at once burn lolf the tube and thus break the connectionwith the line and discharge into the surrounding atmosphere or makeconnection with the ground.

By the usual protectors for telephone-lines which have noground-connection with the fuse-Wire a current ot' electricity such asproduced by lightning if it enters the telephoneline Wires will fuse orburn out the protectingwire C and break the connection with the cableWires; but a current produced by connection with an electric-light Wirewill pass through said wire C and into the cable wires. I find, however,that by Winding the fuse- Wire around a transverse piu, as Zt, thecurrent is suiiicientlyinterrupted to cause the same to fly off, and byburning outthe thin protecting-tube to pass off to the ground, saidinterruption necessarily causing the fusewire C to also be burned outand the connec-` tion thus broken. I have found by practical experimentthat with an ordinary fuse-Wire such as used by electric-light companiesa current of lightning electricity Will pas's through it Without fusingsaid wire, while if a transverse pin is even pressed against the wirethe interrupt-ion is sufficient to burn it out, as aforesaid. Althoughsaid lateral pressure against the wire has in 'each practical testproven sufficient, Iprefer,in order to positively insure such fusion,-towind 'the wire one or fmore times around'the pin, as previouslydescribed.

tice Ifind that I can melt the fuse-Wire and 45 thus break theconnection in every instance that a strong current is passed through thesame, whether by lightning or by connection with the usualelectric-light Wires.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The bearings H, having means for fastening the same to the supportsand the linewires D E, in combination with the detachably-fastenedfuse-Wire holders B and fuse- 'wire C, the insulated spring-actuatedmetal pin 72., passing through the holder and engaging with thefuse-Wire, the metal plate f, secured to a suitablesupport and againstwhich the pin h is held, and the ground-wires F, connected with saidplate f, substantially 'as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a protector for telephone and similar lines, the fuse-wire holderB and fuse-Wire C, in combination with a transverse insulated 4metal pin71passed through the .holder and engaging with said fuse-wire,themetalplate f, secured to a suitable snpport'and engaging `with saidmetal pin, and the ground-Wire F, connected with said plate,substantially as and for the purpose set forth. Y

3. In a protector for telephone 'and similar lines, the fuse-wire holderB and fuse-Wire C, in combination with the metal pin h andinsulating-tube h', both Vpassed through the holder and engaging withsaid vfuse-wire, the metal plate f, secured to a suitable support, meansfor holding the pin h against said plate, and the ground-Wires F,connected with plate f, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT T. ALDRIcH.

Witnesses:

A. A. BARKER, W. B. NoURsE.

